Tattoo Gift
by Romance on Express
Summary: Nana has a tattoo. Other Nana contemplates that fact.
1. Chapter 1

Gift fic for arashi wolf princess requested by vampygurl402.  
Happy Birthday!

* * *

She could admit she admired Nana O. It was so easy to, from her perspective. Nana represented something so cool and different. She was in a band, she sang so beautifully and captivatingly. She could enthrall you with a smile, make you feel like you're okay in the world. She had such a dark sense of style – carrying blacks and lace and safety pins like some would with pastels and cashmere and bows. Plus she could make furniture from scrap wood. How cool was that?

But it was Nana O's relationships that were the under currents of her attraction, something deep and historical, something she didn't think they could have together. It made her want to ask questions, and sometimes she did, but for the most part tried to hold herself back so she wouldn't sound so annoying.

Like her tattoo. The Ren flower. It looked totally like a lotus flower, but Nana O insisted it was a Ren flower. After meeting Ren-the-person and seeing them together (or just hearing about them being together), she could see why Nana would call it that. It was a tattoo for him, named for him. It was his mark on her, like how he still wore that chain with her lock around it.

It made her a bit jealous, that they have that. She wasn't jealous of Nana; she could easily see that the guitarist belonged to her. But maybe it was Ren she was jealous of, that Nana had that mark of him on her skin.

When she thought about it that way, it sounded so creepy.

But it was a special thing they had. A tattoo was everlasting, a symbol that there was a history, and will be a history. Ren was proof, he came back into her life, even if Nana didn't really let him go (at least, that's what she figured).

They had cups. Super cute cups, but glass chipped stained cups. They had memories with using them, so many special and non-special ones, but they wouldn't stay the same forever. But neither would their friendship, would it? They just get closer and closer, Nana O practically knew her better than her sister now.

It was childish, she knew, but it still stung under the surface when she thought about it, that Nana had that meaningfulness in her tattoo.


	2. Chapter 2

Nana K had broken the news over a lazy breakfast, sitting in their crappy chairs at their crappy table (although still kind of awesome). She was halfway in the swallow of juice from the strawberry glass she'd claimed when her roommate said it.

"I'm getting a tattoo."

She almost choked. _Almost_. Instead she let most of the drink backwash (ew) before tapping the cup back on the table. "Oh yeah?"

"Mhm."

She watched as the other Nana looked between her fashion magazine and the window. Trying to avoid eye contact, and actually succeeding. "What are you getting?" She was curious, not just as a friend or someone who was already inked. Mostly in that Nana had mentioned it before, pouted about it, and then thought, pouted, and given up. This time she sounded so certain. Very certain.

"I'm not sure yet." _Oh_.

She relaxed, raising her glass back to her lips again while simultaneously forgetting the backwash. "Well, better figure that out."

"I will."

Finishing her swallow properly this time, she raised a brow. "Know where?"

"Not yet. I think it'll depend on what."

The other brow went up. Yeah, she'd teased about Hachi's ideas about a tattoo before, how it shouldn't just be something whatever like a butterfly, but something special. Like the flower on her arm was for her and Ren. She desperately hoped Hachi wasn't getting one for Takumi. Or Nobou. The dark-haired girl repressed a shudder.

Her attention snapped back when Hachi spoke again. "I'm thinking a butterfly, though."

Wow. _Wow_. Yeah sometimes that teasing involved mentions of butterflies being too typical or something along those lines but _wow_. She was actually considering it.

"I know it's generic but it kind of fits, right? Like, the caterpillar grows and goes through metamorphosis and becomes a butterfly, leaving the ground to be free in the world and sky. It's, like, symbolism, right? I think it kind of suits me..."

She paused. She was going to argue that it _was_ generic. _She was joking when she said it in the past_.

But it did fit, in a way. Hachi's grown a lot since the brat she met on the train to Tokyo. She's learned, loved and lost, and learned some more. She couldn't argue that it wasn't somewhat if not really fitting in that sense. So she didn't. She finished the rest of the juice and got up to clear the table. "Just make sure it's not some stupid-looking one. Make it special to you."

"I know. I will."


	3. Chapter 3

When Hachi declared that she would get a tattoo Nana was supportive – in her own way. Especially considering that she wanted a butterfly tattoo. The singer didn't realise Hachi meant for her to help. The blonde poured over books about symbols and meanings while throwing books about butterfly species to Nana.

"Nana! I need help! Here, read these! Help me pick one!"

"I sucked in school! Pick your own!"

Hachi didn't find much more then what she knew about the symbol of a butterfly. Metamorphosis. Change. It was pretty clear what everyone thought of it.

And there was nothing about them in the science books about different butterflies meaning different things other than if they were poisonous to birds or not.

"Just pick a random one you like!"

"But they're all so pretty!"

Nana found a good a parlour for it, hunting alone first before dragging loyal little Hachi behind her to the one she liked best. The brunette walked in behind her wide-eyed and clutching her arm, moving around to look at the wall art of piercings and tattoos while Nana talked to the clerk. She explained it was Hachi's first tat, that she wasn't sure about art style, etc. When he asked about the design Hachi shied at the fact that she still didn't know yet.

"But we'll nail it down before the appointment."

"Sure thing, I can get you in exactly a month from tomorrow."

The last of the walk home and afternoon before dinner was spent in rarely punctuated silence. Hachi contemplated her decisions, Nana contemplated her friend.

Over the entire month the lighter haired of the two searched and fretted over what she wanted. She wanted something truly meaningful to her and her life, but not something old or generic like grad. She dropped out of college. That would be dumb.

She thought about her other accomplishments, other things she'd done in her life. She moved out. She had a place with Nana O. She got over that cheating prick Shoji. She had BlaSt and was practically the bands' personal cheerleader. It may not seem like much from an outside perspective but it really meant something to her.

But she wasn't getting a guitar and microphone on her waist or '707'.

… But that's the right idea.

She still wanted the butterflies though. She picked out dozens that she really liked, and when she couldn't settle for one or another she started taking votes. First from the boys, Nobuo and Shin, then Yasu when they couldn't agree. Then Ren, Reira, Naoki. And finally Takumi, whom Hachi desperately hoped would be the final tie breaker, chose, like everyone else, a completely different butterfly. And her roommate was so annoyed with it that she didn't dare ask more than once.

"Please Nana! No one could agree on one for me!"

"You shouldn't have looked at them all in the first place!"

The appointment was coming up, and Hachi had several sketches and designs, all different variations of butterflies that everyone picked. The night before when Nana had warned her about a good night sleep for the pain the next day she'd shrugged it off, staying up late to try to decide. They were all pretty, how could she pick just one?

She couldn't.

So why not pick all seven? Seven was in her name after all. Hers and Nana's, and neither of them could decide on one (or just chose not to). It fit.

The next morning Hachi woke up surrounded by random slips of papers of rough drawings of butterflies in various states of crumpling, with one still attached to her old school sketchbook. She grabbed it, folding it carefully and placing it in her bag before getting ready for the morning.

When Nana asked if she'd even slept at all she applied a bit more makeup in the bathroom, pouting. But proud.

It was somewhat silent at breakfast. Nana could obviously see that her roommate had found the design she wanted, and even being super curious kind of wanted a surprise after the ink was done. And Hachi was hardly spitting details everywhere like she had been before leading up to today. It didn't even seem like she was all that nervous, more excited.

The time passed slowly until the afternoon when Nana K. went to the parlour with Nana O in tow this time, ready with her sketch. She'd coloured it exactly as she'd wanted, too. The artist instructed her on where to lie, what to take off, and how it'd feel. Nana comforted with hand holding and stories to distract her, never once getting up to check on the progress, always sitting in front of Hachi with smiles and squeezes and tissues when it got bad.

Five hours later it was done. A mirror was pulled up for her to see.

Seven different miniature butterflies scattered along the curve of her back and side, above her hip, ranging each in colour of creamy pink to strawberry red, lined with rouge. Every one was in crisp detail despite their size, arranged in such a way that looked so pretty and attractive and _wow_.

Both Nanas gasped, then awed and fussed over it while the artist put away supplies and timed their bill.

"It's so pretty! Wow!"

"I can't believe- It's so awesome!"

Each, Nana noticed, were one of the ones that the others had picked from Hachi's pool of choices. When she counted them, she smiled warmly.

"It's prefect."

"Thank you."


End file.
